Mothers in Science

The aim of this book is to illustrate, graphically, that it is perfectly possible to combine a successful and fulfilling career in research science with motherhood, and that there are no rules about how to do this. On each page you will find a timeline showing on one side, the career path of a research group leader in academic science, and on the other side, important events in her family life. Each contributor has also provided a brief text about their research and about how they have combined their career and family commitments. This project was funded by a Rosalind Franklin Award from the Royal Society 1 Foreword It is well known that women are under-represented in careers in These rules are part of a much wider mythology among scientists of science. In academia, considerable attention has been focused on the both genders at the PhD and post-doctoral stages in their careers. paucity of women at lecturer level, and the even more lamentable The myths bubble up from the combination of two aspects of the state of affairs at more senior levels. The academic career path has academic science environment. First, a quick look at the numbers a long apprenticeship. Typically there is an undergraduate degree, immediately shows that there are far fewer lectureship positions followed by a PhD, then some post-doctoral research contracts and than qualified candidates to fill them. Second, the mentors of early research fellowships, and then finally a more stable lectureship or career researchers are academic scientists who have successfully permanent research leader position, with promotion on up the made the transition to lectureships and beyond. These people are ladder to follow. usually extremely enthusiastic about their work (see below) and can't imagine that anyone would want to do anything else. Indeed A major crunch point for women comes at the appointment to many of them assume that if you end up in any other career it must lectureships, which are scarce, but subsequent promotion also seems be because you failed to get a lectureship. to be problematic, leading to the metaphor of the leaky pipeline with the under-representation of women increasing at every career This attitude is ridiculous. There are many fulfilling and exciting stage. Official statistics for the academic year 2005/06 show 23% careers for those with a research science training, both inside and of lecturers, 13% of senior lecturers and readers and just 7% of outside academia, of which an academic lectureship/research group professors in science subjects are women. The figures are gradually leader position is just one. This combination of strong competition improving, but none the less, they are not good, and much hand for lectureships coupled with a prevailing attitude that they are wringing has ensued. It is easy to find analyses about why it is so the only job worth having has an extremely damaging effect. hard for women to succeed in academic science. Many contributory Superstitions about what you must do to succeed abound. In terms factors have been convincingly identified. Frequent among them of motherhood, the usual idea is that if you have children before are the highly competitive atmosphere of research science and the you get your lectureship you might as well forget it. This is patently difficulty in combining a demanding job with family commitments. untrue, however it is a widely held belief. These analyses are important. They can help to define the issues The myths discourage women, but I think the 'win-a-lectureship- more precisely and to suggest measures to improve the situation. or-fail' attitude is much more damaging than just that. Given the However, they have another, less positive effect. If aspiring women many career options available to research scientists, it creates deep scientists are always reading about how difficult it is to succeed, and unnecessary anxiety, and men and women on average respond is it any wonder that they opt for alternative career paths? I have differently to this anxiety. Men tend to fight to avoid perceived often spoken to young women scientists who accept as fact that it failure, whilst women tend to sidestep to avoid the perceived need is almost impossible to combine a career in academic science with for aggressive competition. Put crudely, men are too scared to opt motherhood, and if it is to be attempted at all, there are strict rules out, women are too scared to opt in. This leaves both genders in about how to do it. careers that may not be the best for them. 2 To solve this problem early career research scientists need to be is simply untrue. It is not only perfectly possible, but also there are freed to make the decisions right for them. There are clearly two absolutely no rules about how to do it. parts to balancing this equation. On the one hand, all researchers must receive advice, support and encouragement to identify and The aim of this book is to illustrate these points. On each page, work towards whatever career path they prefer. And on the other the career path and family life of a woman research group leader hand, the myths about the trials and tribulations of the academic in academic science are plotted on either side of a single timeline. career path must be dispelled. This book is a specific contribution to Each woman has also provided a brief description of her research this latter effort. interests and of how she combined research and family life. It was not difficult to find participants for this book. Although the I am not claiming that academic science is not a competitive career. proportion of women in academic science is below 50%, the number It has to be. We are spending taxpayers' and charity-givers' money of mothers enjoying these careers is substantial. The 64 women in on our research projects. There is less money available than there this book are a somewhat random sample and they are presented are research ideas, so a competitive process to try to ensure that the in no particular order. If there was any method at all involved it was money is spent in the best possible way is essential. This rigorous principally focussed on variety. peer review of research ideas is an important part of science and keeps standards high. The job is also most certainly demanding, The 64 participants have taken many different routes to their but it is so exciting and rewarding that most scientist relish the current positions. Some did not start their research careers until after challenges that research brings. Most of us are constantly deeply their children were older, some took an extensive career break while grateful for the opportunity to contribute to scientific endeavour, their children were young, some worked part time for substantial finding it exceptionally fulfilling. It is for this reason that it is parts of their careers, many found excellent childcare support from frustrating to watch talented women scientists turning to other their partners, their family, or professional childcare providers. careers (albeit valuable and important ones) because they think they Many comment that the autonomy and flexibility characteristic of must if they want a reasonable work-life balance. academic science make it much easier to combine with motherhood than many other professions. Everyone agrees it is very hard work, For many of us the concept of work-life balance is rather very enjoyable and very fulfilling. problematic. The phrase suggests that your work has nothing to do with the rest of your life. I consider my work to be an integral part of my life that complements the other things I do, including being a mother. This will certainly not be the case for everyone, but I don't want women to choose other options because they think it is impossible to combine a career in academic science with family life. The idea that women cannot thrive in the world of academic science, successfully combining a vocation for science with family life 3 Sabbatical at the MPI Twins start secondary school Anna Amtmann Golm, Germany Family re-united Anna & Dominik in Berlin, Pawel & Tymon in Glasgow 05 Senior Lecturer Pawel Lecturer and Head of Bioinformatics, FBLS, University of Glasgow Lecturer, FBLS, University of Glasgow Move to Glasgow 00 Six months maternity leave Twins start primary school Tymon & Dominik born Research 95 My group investigates the molecular Post-doc Biology mechanisms that allow plants to adapt Meet Pawel Herzyk, also post-doc Department, York, UK in York (Protein Structure Group, to nutrient deficiency and salt stress. Experimental PhD Göttingen Chemistry Department) approaches range from patch clamp and enzymatic assays to microarrays and metabolomics. Erasmus student, Linguistics, Barcelona, Spain Career MSc Biology Göttingen, Germany 90 My career is based on enthusiasm, determination, hard work and luck. Having twin boys was tough but minimised the number of maternity leaves and turned the lab into a heaven of peace... Pawel and I have always had an equal share in childcare and household. Being in the same job means we understand the stress and the satisfaction that comes with it, and the personal commitment that it requires. 4 Beth Jefferies Research My work explores how language and memory processes are organised in the brain. I study patients who have damage to particular brain regions. I also use a technique called transcranial magnetic Appointed senior lecturer, University of York stimulation to briefly disrupt the function of small areas of Birth of Meredith, the cortex in healthy volunteers (see photo). 6 months maternity leave, returned to work 4 days a week Career RCUK Fellowship, University of Manchester 05 When Meredith was a baby, my work as a research fellow was very flexible and I was able to stay at home with her at least one day a week.

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